Improvement in hand-grenades



GANSTER & SGHUYLER.

Shell-Fuse. I

Patented Feb, 16, 1864 Now 41,615.

UNITED STATES GEORGE P. GANSTER AND ISAAC SGHUYLER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 L6 l 5, dated February 16, 18(14.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GEORGE P. GANSTER and ISAAC S. ScHUYLER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand- Grenades; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top viewot thesame. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same in the line at x, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a portion of the same, exhibiting the interior of the screw-plug, hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in the several views.

The object of this invention is to provide a hand-grenade which can be transported with out danger and instantly prepared for use, and when so prepared will be unfailing in its action.

To this end the invention consists in the use of a fuse-chamber communicating with the main explosivechamber through stoppered apertures, said fuse-chamber being closed on theexterior by a screw-plug and adaptedto contain a small quantity of gunpowder or other explosive material,which, being ignited by a percussion pellet or bulb placed in the fusechamber just before the grenade is to be used and broken by the fall of the latter, opens communication between the chambers and ignites the exploding-charge, in manner hereinafter fully explained.

In order that others skilled in the. art to which our invention appertains may be enabled to fully understand and use the same,we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A may represent the main body of the shell or grenade, in which a screw-threaded perforationis made forthe reception of a cylindrical chamber, B, of brass or other suitable metal, the upper portion of the periphery of which chamber is formed with corresponding screw-threads, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 3.1](14. This chamber B communicates with the interior A of the shell A through one or more small apertures in the lower end of said chamber B, which may I be closed by wooden or other suitable plugs, b,

to retain the combustible material therein.

0 is a screw-threaded brass or other metallic plug fitted within the mouth of the chamber 13, so as to be readily removed or inserted, to facilitate which a suitable thumbpiece, C, is formed thereon.

Within the chamber B is deposited a sufficient quantity of powder (see Fig. 3) to expel the plug 1) when ignited, and thus ignite the explosive material contained within the main body of the shell Athrough the aperture from which theplug b has been ejected. This ignition of the explosive material within the chamber B, we effect by the employment of a hermetically-sealed hollow fuse, D, formed of glass or other frangiblematerial, in the form of a pellet or bulb, which is filledwith sulphuric acid and enveloped with a paste composed of chloride of potash and sulphur, so that if the glass be broken the heat evolved by the contact of the acid and chloride will ignite the sulphur, and thus communicate combustion to any explosive substance with which it may be in contact. E may represent small bullets or balls for breaking or crushing the bulb D, so asto bring the chemicals mentioned into contact when the grenade is to be exploded.

As shown in Fig. at, the plugOmay be made hollow for the reception of the bulb D when the grenade is not in use, to prevent any accident which might occur; or, if desired, it may consitute the primary explosive-chamber and communicate with the interior of the shell through apertures closed by wooden plugs c c.

The operation of the invention will be understood from the foregoing description. It is impossible for it to explode so long as contact is prevented between the bulb D and balls E, and it may therefore be transported or handled with entire safety. To prepare it for use it is only necessary to insert the bulb D in any chamber in which the balls E and asmall quantity of explosive material are contained. It may then be thrown with safety; but the concussion of falling or striking any opposing body will cause its explosioniu the manner already explained.

WVe are aware that explosive shells have be fore been provided with a fuse-chamber communicating with the main explosive-chamber through stopped apertures and containing a small quantityof powder,which, being ignited 2 arena by the striking of the projectile by means of a The combination of the chambers A B, cap

percussion-fuse,producesa preliminary eXplo- O, plug 1), frangible fuse D, and balls E, and

sion, which will eject the plugs, thereby open constructed, arranged, and operating in mancommunication between the fuse-chamber and ner as and for the purpose set forth.

the main explosive-chamber, and igniting the a V T charge in the latter. This, therefore, we do not broadly claim. J

Having thus described our invention, What XVitnesses:

we claim as new therein, and desire to secure OHARLEs SMITH,

by Letters Patent, is l OCTAVIUS KNIGHT. 

